Uncommitted 2021 Players to Watch from Houston
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We have been profiling a lot of players who have recently made their college decisions. There are still some amazing players out there who still need a home and tons of schools still looking. We are super proud to bring…
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Continue ReadingWe have been profiling a lot of players who have recently made their college decisions. There are still some amazing players out there who still need a home and tons of schools still looking. We are super proud to bring you more exposure to players who are tearing it up on the court and could help a college roster in the coming years. We pride ourselves on covering ALL levels of players throughout the huge state of Texas. We are always looking for diamonds in the rough that might not get a lot of the coverage that big named programs usually get from other publications. Take a journey with us as we venture to the H-Town volleyball scene and profile three players who haven’t made their college choice yet. College programs should definitely give these players a look. Here they are:
Abigail Sweeney Abigail Sweeney 6'2" | MB Klein | 2021 State TX [2021] 6-2 Middle/Right Side (HS: Klein/Club: Renegades/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Miss Sweeney is currently ranked as the 110th top prospect, 20th ranked middle, and 11th ranked right side in the 2021 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. She has the tools to move up our rankings soon. We have written about her twice and here is a little from the previous articles, “She is a dominant force in the middle for her small club out of Houston – Renegades Volleyball club. She has the frame that is desired by a lot of college coaches and she definitely has the power. This young lady explodes on the ball with authority. She is able to hit all tempos and locations on the net as her club runs her in the three position in transition, they of course run her in the five position at a one tempo, and she even runs a four tempo in the nine position out of serve receive. College coaches need to take a look at her asap if they are looking to fill their needs of a big arm out of the middle or right. Abby has been a strong 4 year Varsity player for Klein and is a blocking machine on the right side for them. She is one reason why their defense is so good against their opponents due to her having to slow down or stop the other teams best attackers on the left. Her super high efficient hitting percentage this season is also another big reason why Klein has been unstoppable so far in this early part of the season.” We have been following her closely and she has only gotten better. So far she is killing it for her club team…literally and figuratively. They are running some explosive shoot sets out of the middle with her and she is destroying them for kills. This past year at Klein she helped them make a deep run in the playoffs. She helped them to a wonderful 27-1 overall record and an undefeated 12-0 record in district. Their only loss came in the 6A UIL State Championship match against Seven Lakes. In four years Abby was able to amass 176 kills, .231 efficiency, 94 blocks and 53 digs. She can easily help out a college program who still needs a tall shut down blocker who has attacking power in multiple positions. Her footwork and understanding alone will be a plus for a college program. If any coaches need a 2021 middle/right side, give this young lady a look. You won’t be disappointed. We are excited to continue to cover her for the club season.
Temi Areola Temi Areola 5'10" | RS Kingwood | 2021 State TX [2021] 5-11 Right Side (HS: Kingwood/Club: TAV Houston/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Miss Areola is currently ranked as the 95th top prospect and 9th ranked right side in the 2021 class according to our Prep Dig State Rankings. We wrote about her early in the Spring when we profiled her club TAV Houston our club of the week. Here is a little from that article, “She is a high flying right side blocker/attacker for her Kingwood high school team and TAV Houston club team. She regularly hits over opposing blockers as she has so much bounce in her approach. It is very fun to watch Miss Areola hit a quick behind her setter as the block is usually too slow to put up some hands to slow her down. I am very sure that some college out there would love to have her athleticism on their roster. Be on the lookout for her to breakout even more during her senior season at Kingwood.” She has gotten much better and is doing extremely well for both TAV Houston and Kingwood this year. This past season she helped Kingwood to a 20-3 overall record and an 11-1 district record. In two years on Varsity she was able to amass 234 kills, .246 hitting efficiency, 76 total blocks and 19 aces. She is still killing it on the pins and should definitely be looked at by any program who still needs to add some firepower. She has some serious hops and great hang-time. This is on full display during her blocking with her long arms. She can be a shut down right side for someone. We love the lightning she has in her right arm swing. She can unload on the ball with the best of them. Take a look at her this season and you will not be disappointed.
Julia Neveu Julia Neveu 5'5" | DS/L Oak Ridge | 2021 State TX [2021] 5-6 Libero (HS: Oak Ridge/Club: TAV Houston/Verbal: Uncommitted)
Miss Neveu is currently ranked as the 107th top prospect, 21st ranked libero in the 2021 class according to our state rankings. We also wrote about her during the Club of the Week article early last year and here is what we wrote, “This is one libero that should be on a lot of coach’s lists soon. When watching her play any true coach would marvel at her ability to control her upper body through contact. She holds her form so well during contact and after to make sure her arms do not add any extra movement on the pass to the setter. It is so refreshing to watch her body control as she torques her upper body to deliver pinpoint accurate digs from balls that are well outside her body. Her motor is always running when her opponent has the ball. When I watch her pursue a ball, she makes me want to chase an out of system ball too due to her energy. She is no stranger to flying around for balls as she has a true relentless pursuit of the ball defensively.” She helped her Oak Ridge high school team to a 19-5 overall record and a 7-3 district record this past season. In only two years on Varsity she was able to rack up 1492 digs, have 832 service receptions and tally 55 aces. She is a gem in the back row and can easily help a college program with their ball control. I love her footwork as she reads the offense and I’m sure you will too when you watch her take command of the back row. Find her court this season during club tournaments, sit back, and enjoy the show as she is electric.
We love covering all levels of athletes who want some extra exposure to help their recruiting journey. Stay tuned for more articles on your favorite athletes. If you have anyone you think we should watch out for, please shoot me an email with some info at nov8vb@yahoo.com. Also don’t forget to help these kids get more exposure by sharing our stories with your friends. Help us help them by simply retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook. Thanks for following Texas Family!